PROVISIONAL URBAN COUNCIL
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emergencies when the health of the community is threatened....' As for the reason, the Document points out, ‘....... since the two Municipal Councils, the two municipal services departments and other departments may be involved, they need to be consulted in the process and agree on common measures.'
As the Vice-chairman of the Public Health Select Committee, I must point out expressly and clearly that the above conclusion tips in balance, misleads public opinion, is not commensurate with facts and is inaccurate.
When I had the opportunity to see Mr. Tung during his meeting with the PUC in March this year, I personally presented to him 158 articles on "Reform of Municipal Services' written by me. The articles suggest that the SAR Government conduct in-depth analysis on the series of food safety and hygiene problems we face, find out the real causes and solutions and avoid simplifying matters. To my great disappointment, the Consultation Document on 'Review of District Organisations' has made up a lot of reasons towards the end for reorganisation of district organisations. Furthermore, the concluded cause of our series of food safety and hygiene problems is contrary to facts.
As a document for consultation to effect reform of organisational structure targeted at solutions to food safety, certain basic issues cannot and should not be evaded. They are:
(1) What role have government departments and statutory organisations played in 12 major food safety incidents over the past year and a half? What kind of duties have been executed? Have they done their job? Who is empowered to decide on policies and execute the policies? What errors have been made?
(2) Why has the Consultation Document failed to reveal the appropriateness of the division of work, process of decision, implementation procedures, communication procedures etc. of departments like the Department of Health, Agriculture and Fisheries Department, Environmental Protection Department, Buildings Department, Water Supplies Department which are most closely connected with the above mentioned 12 food safety incidents?
(3) Why has the Consultation Document not covered the work and decision procedures of the inter-departmental committee or work group set up to address two major food safety incidents sparked by cholera and bird flu? In Chapter 6 of the Consultation Document, it is suggested that 'Government should assume the responsibility for food safety and environmental hygiene currently undertaken by the Municipal Councils' and 'if the food safety and environmental hygiene functions are managed centrally .... In fact, to tackle the spread of cholera, Government set up five years ago the 'Inter-departmental Committee on the Prevention and Control of Cholera' (literal) chaired by the Director of Health. In addition, the Inter-departmental Working Group on Control of the Use of Sea Water to Culture Sea
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